The Hound and Cats
Oct. 4th, 2006 12:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaelieMonday evening after work was pretty interesting. The hound caught his first cat.
Yep.
Well, he always goes out the door and into the back yard looking for "intruders." I usually watch him because he doesn't spend much time back there. He'll run a few laps, go to the bathroom, and then want back in. This time, as always, he took a few trotting steps out the door, ears up and head looking around alertly. However, this time, after looking around, his ruff went straight up and he lunged with a growl to the right towards the fence. I jumped out the door just in time to see a grey and white cat scrambling to get up the fence, but it was way too slow.
He grabbed it and threw it down, where it landed underneath the pile of sticks by the fence, and Taltos hopped on it and jumped out with it in his jaws. He then proceeded to shake the crap out of it for about fifteen seconds or so. He must have had a bad grip on it, though, because it got loose. As soon as its feet hit the ground it ran for the tree and tried to run up it, but Taltos was on it again but missed. It made a panicked dash for the porch where our trash can and a big pile of boxes are. I jumped between them and took Taltos inside, then chased the cat out. It shakily climbed the fence.
I had to tell the neighbors' kids to get a parent to come fetch the cat as it rested, growling, on the top of the fence. I handed the adult a towel to grab the cat so he wouldn't get scratched up, but the cat let the man get it without a fuss (it was growling at me and the kids, mostly).
During the whole thing I was primarily worried about my hound getting injured, since I always assumed that he would kill whatever it was he caught. Or if it was dropped, that the critter would be mortally wounded and death honestly would be a boon.
Luckily for that cat, though, while instinct was strong, Taltos's technique was off. Also, cats have a very springy spine, so it survived the shaking that would have probably killed a rabbit. Taltos only had a few scratches from the pile of sticks and a few scratches on his muzzle but nothing that broke the skin, which is saying a lot for a breed that has no undercoat.
I didn't punish him. I strongly believe that he did no wrong. He's a sight hound, bred and trained for centuries (probably millennia) to chase small fuzzies, and that cat should not have been in our yard. Those owners, though, should keep their domestic animals in the house. Especially cats, since a fence will never stop a cat from wandering the neighborhood where it can get eaten by territorial dogs. I don't think they ever will keep their cats inside, though, which is too bad.
Some greyhounds can be trained to get along with little fuzzies inside and literally have no problem getting along with them, but personally I would never let a greyhound in a back yard with small fuzzy critters. Their instinct is just too strong. Then there are others, like Taltos, who will never be safe with small fuzzies unless the fuzzies are caged. He's proven to be ok with the caged critters over at Rob & Sioux's place, but I'd never trust him with critters running loose.
And that was my Monday evening. Whee!
Yep.
Well, he always goes out the door and into the back yard looking for "intruders." I usually watch him because he doesn't spend much time back there. He'll run a few laps, go to the bathroom, and then want back in. This time, as always, he took a few trotting steps out the door, ears up and head looking around alertly. However, this time, after looking around, his ruff went straight up and he lunged with a growl to the right towards the fence. I jumped out the door just in time to see a grey and white cat scrambling to get up the fence, but it was way too slow.
He grabbed it and threw it down, where it landed underneath the pile of sticks by the fence, and Taltos hopped on it and jumped out with it in his jaws. He then proceeded to shake the crap out of it for about fifteen seconds or so. He must have had a bad grip on it, though, because it got loose. As soon as its feet hit the ground it ran for the tree and tried to run up it, but Taltos was on it again but missed. It made a panicked dash for the porch where our trash can and a big pile of boxes are. I jumped between them and took Taltos inside, then chased the cat out. It shakily climbed the fence.
I had to tell the neighbors' kids to get a parent to come fetch the cat as it rested, growling, on the top of the fence. I handed the adult a towel to grab the cat so he wouldn't get scratched up, but the cat let the man get it without a fuss (it was growling at me and the kids, mostly).
During the whole thing I was primarily worried about my hound getting injured, since I always assumed that he would kill whatever it was he caught. Or if it was dropped, that the critter would be mortally wounded and death honestly would be a boon.
Luckily for that cat, though, while instinct was strong, Taltos's technique was off. Also, cats have a very springy spine, so it survived the shaking that would have probably killed a rabbit. Taltos only had a few scratches from the pile of sticks and a few scratches on his muzzle but nothing that broke the skin, which is saying a lot for a breed that has no undercoat.
I didn't punish him. I strongly believe that he did no wrong. He's a sight hound, bred and trained for centuries (probably millennia) to chase small fuzzies, and that cat should not have been in our yard. Those owners, though, should keep their domestic animals in the house. Especially cats, since a fence will never stop a cat from wandering the neighborhood where it can get eaten by territorial dogs. I don't think they ever will keep their cats inside, though, which is too bad.
Some greyhounds can be trained to get along with little fuzzies inside and literally have no problem getting along with them, but personally I would never let a greyhound in a back yard with small fuzzy critters. Their instinct is just too strong. Then there are others, like Taltos, who will never be safe with small fuzzies unless the fuzzies are caged. He's proven to be ok with the caged critters over at Rob & Sioux's place, but I'd never trust him with critters running loose.
And that was my Monday evening. Whee!
